Members, who now number more than a thousand persons, are elected by their colleagues in recognition of scholarship, for support of cultural institutions, for manifest interest in bibliographical matters, or for distinction as community or national leaders in humanistic affairs.

The membership includes scholars, educators, publishers, collectors, cultural administrators, civic leaders, journalists, writers, and filmmakers, as well as lay persons with an interest in the field of American history. Fourteen presidents of the United States have been members, and AAS members have been awarded over sixty Pulitzer Prizes and over fifty Bancroft Prizes for their work. Members have been elected from every region of our nation and from thirty-three foreign countries.